Lake Geneva’s Medieval Fortress: The Château de Chillon, CH

Roof of Château de Chillon through the Trees, Montreux, Switzerland

Château de Chillon
There is nothing quite like the glimpse of a medieval castle on a sunny day to evoke thoughts of fairy tales…

Castles: they are a study in contrasts.

There is nothing quite like the glimpse of a medieval castle on a sunny day to evoke thoughts of fairy tales, with damsels and dragons and chivalrous knights… But, once inside, it is easier to imagine the cold drafts, the lack of light, and the drudgery of those who work at providing some modicum of creature comfort to others who take it for granted.

Chillon Castle, a magical-looking Château in the district of Veytaux near Montreux, has been described as “an architectural jewel”. Reputedly “the most visited historic building in Switzerland”, it perches on a small island of rock on the banks of Lake Geneva, where it affords wonderful views over the surrounding waters.

The Chillon site began as a Roman outpost. For about four hundred years, from the 12th to the 16th centuries, the castle was summer home to the Counts of Savoy, who controlled passage by land or water from Burgundy to the St. Bernhard Pass through the Swiss Alps. As well as keeping a fleet of boats on Lake Geneva, and entertaining guests, the Savoys also kept prisoners in the dungeons during the Wars of Religion (Protestant Reformation) in the mid-1500s. The ordeal of the castle’s most famous prisoner, François de Bonivard, a Genevois monk and politician, imprisoned from 1530-1536, was immortalised by English poet Lord Byron in his long narrative poem: The Prisoner of Chillon: A Fable, mostly written during a rainy visit in 1816:

… My limbs are bow’d, though not with toil,
   But rusted with a vile repose,
For they have been a dungeon’s spoil,
   And mine has been the fate of those
To whom the goodly earth and air
Are bann’d, and barr’d—forbidden fare; …

Hardly the stuff of fairy tales!

Fortunately, we visited during glorious sunshine – and were free to leave at will.

Château de Chillon from the Train, Veytaux, Switzerland

Jewel in Lake Geneva
As the train followed the lakeshore to Montreux in Canton Vaud, we could see the Château on the waters.

Large Boat on Lake Geneva docked at Montreux, Switzerland

Boat on Lake Geneva
Perhaps best known for it’s annual Jazz Festival, Montreux provides access to tour boats on the beautiful Lake Geneva.

Sculpture of a naked woman in the park on the Foreshore of Lake Geneva at Montreux, Switzerland.

Sculpture on the Foreshore
We had to wait for a bus to take us to the nearby castle, and took the time to wander along the Lake Geneva waterfront.

Château de Chillon from the Bus, Veytaux, Switzerland

Château de Chillon
It’s a short bus ride (or a rather long walk) from Montreux to Veytaux.

Château de Chillon from the lakeshore, Veytaux, Switzerland

“Picture a Castle”
Château de Chillon sits on a rocky island; the waters of Lake Geneva act like a natural moat.

Entrance bridgeway to Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Entrance
The ticket/entrance to the Château is across a small covered bridge.

Courtyard, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Courtyard, Château de Chillon

Poster describing the Savoys, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

The Savoys
The House of Savoy (Italian: Casa Savoia) was founded in 1003 in the Savoy region in the Rhône-Alpes. One of the oldest royal families in the world, they held Château de Chillon until it was conquered by Bern in 1536.

Heavy door and lock leading Into the wine Cellar, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Into the Cellar
The Clos de Chillon grows Chasselas grapes by the castle walls and produces award-winning Grand Cru wines.

Looking past the wine Cellar to the vaulted dungeons, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Into the Cellar
Since 2011, the Chasselas white wine and the Gamaret-Garanoir red wine blend have been aged in barrels in Chillon Castle.

Vaulted chambers In the Dungeons, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

In the Dungeons
The dungeon ceilings arch high over head…

Noose in the Rafters of the Dungeons, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Noose in the Rafters
… where a noose is tied.

Grated window out of the Dungeons, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

View through the Grate
As gloomy as the dungeon itself is, it has a wonderful view.

Neck Iron in the darkness, Dungeons, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Neck Iron
Prisoners of the Duc de Savoy were chained to individual pillars in the dungeon and couldn’t move far.

Byron

“Byron”
When Lord Byron visited Chillon in 1816, he was so moved by the story of François de Bonivard that he carved his name into a pillar near where the Genevois monk had been chained.

Fountain with red flowers, courtyard, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Fountain
It is a relief to get back out into daylight of the castle courtyard after the depressing dungeons!

Blond woman in an arched Château de Chillon window, Veytaux Switzerland

Looking In

Looking Out a Château de Chillon window onto gardens, Veytaux Switzerland

Looking Out

Door Lock. Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Door Lock
Inside the castle, the doors are heavy, …

Kitchen pots, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Kitchen Pots
… as are the iron kitchen pots.

Sailboats on Lake Geneva from a Château de Chillon window, Veytaux Switzerland

Sailboats on Lake Geneva
Windows look out over the water…

Young woman in a  Château de Chillon window seat, Veytaux Switzerland

Watching the View
… but some visitors prefer to gaze at each other.

Painted crests and designations of visitors to  Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

“Johan was Here”
Like a visual guest book, the crests and titles of visiting dignitaries are painted high around the walls of one room.

Blurry surreal picture of three children in dark catacombs, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Kids in the Catacombs
Low light in another below-ground space turns three youngsters into a surreal oil-painting.

Medieval Warriors sculpted from metal, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Medieval Warriors
In another dark space, shadows of warriors past haunt us.

Flowers in an archway in the Courtyard, Château de Chillon, Veytaux Switzerland

Flowers in the Courtyard
Again, it is good to find light and air and sunshine outdoors …

Château de Chillon from the walkway, Veytaux Switzerland

Château de Chillon
… and to admire the castle from the walkway outside its thick, dark walls.

Pink Flowering bush; Château de Chillon behind, Veytaux Switzerland

Castle Flowers
For it may look like a fairytale, but Chillon hides some dark history.

… We were all inmates of one place,
And I, the monarch of each race,
Had power to kill—yet, strange to tell!
In quiet we had learn’d to dwell;
My very chains and I grew friends,
So much a long communion tends
To make us what we are:—even I
Regain’d my freedom with a sigh.

– Lord Byron (George Gordon), The Prisoner of Chillon

François Bonivard was finally freed in 1536 when the Bernese conquered the Pays de Vaud and took Chillon back from the Savoys. The Bernese continued to use it as a fortress, arsenal and prison for another 260 years.

It was a fascinating place to visit, but I am mightily glad not to be imprisoned there!

Text: Keep smiling

I would not weather the years as well as Byron’s fabled prisoner.

Till next time ~

 Pictures: 23July2014
  • gabe - August 20, 2015 - 11:27 pm

    Good memories of the visit to the castle & of last years travelsReplyCancel

  • […] Of course, when we arrived, it rained, rained, and rained some more. We mostly travelled down the hill, rather than up, to try to escape the wet mountain weather (see: Castles, Cheese and Chocolate; The Salt Mines; Lake Geneva’s Medieval Fortress). […]ReplyCancel

  • Patrick - October 26, 2015 - 3:18 am

    Nice tour, Ursula!ReplyCancel

    • Ursula - October 26, 2015 - 7:32 am

      Thanks, Patrick. Lovely to have you along!ReplyCancel

  • […] to get around the country (eg: Wanderweg around the Pfäffikersee; Balade Des Fontaines, Aigle; Château de Chillon; Schaffhausen and Neuhausen am Rheinfall; Gruyères; The Salt Mines of Bex; Leysin; Lucerne; […]ReplyCancel

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